Tick-borne disease is a growing threat to canine and human health. Disease occurs when ticks infected with a pathogen bite a dog or human and transmit the pathogen into the body. Many tick-borne pathogens infect dogs, and can also infect humans; a direct tick bite is required to transmit disease. The geographic distribution of ticks is spreading, and can change yearly by season and region of the United States. The outdoors is not the only area of risk, home infestations can also occur. The most important tick-borne diseases of dogs are Ehrlichiosis, Anaplasmosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Hepatozoonosis, Babesiosis, Bartonellosis, Hemotropic Mycoplasmosis, and Lyme disease. All can have serious health consequences, and infection rates have been on the rise over the past five years. The feeding time required for disease transmission from a tick to a dog or person can be as little as 3 – 6 hours!

Research

In year I of the Initiative, five grants were awarded. These exciting grants address tick-borne disease by funding much-needed research to find new ways to prevent infections, and recognize, diagnose and treat tick-borne diseases before they become debilitating or even fatal to dogs.

More grants will be awarded through the Tick-Borne Disease Initiative during year II in 2017. Please check back for information on the RFP and for announcements about newly funded grants.

Podcasts

Dr. Ed Breitschwerdt, a specialist in internal medicine and infectious disease at North Carolina State University has received funding from the AKC Canine Health Foundation for various infectious diseases including Bartonella spp. In this podcast, Dr. Breitschwerdt describes several common tick borne illness, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Ehrlichiosis and Lyme Disease. Dr. Breitschwerdt also shares the symptoms to watch for and what treatments are available.Listen to the podcast >>>

Regional Prevalence of Tick-Borne Disease

Distribution of tick-borne disease is associated with the species of tick endemic to a given region. Distribution of tick species, prevalence of ticks within a region and the prevalence of infectious pathogens they carry is not stable and fluctuates on a seasonal basis depending on weather, rainfall and climate. For this reason monitoring of tick-borne disease is a dynamic, ongoing process.

Keep Your Dog Safe from Tick-Borne Disease

Use effective prevention – consult your local veterinarian. Be aware that tick preventatives do not prevent disease transmission; they reduce risk by reducing the tick burden on the dog. Always use canine-approved preventatives only.

If your dog spends time outdoors, check them daily for ticks. Pay close attention to the head, ears, shoulders, and upper leg areas.

Never spray human tick repellent on your dog as these chemicals are toxic if ingested.

Talk to your veterinarian about annual testing for tick-borne disease. Testing is fast and effective.

If your dog displays signs of tick-borne disease, they may initially test negative. This is because tests that measure for the presence of antibodies against the pathogen take time to reach measurable levels in the blood. Your veterinarian may test twice using an initial “acute” sample followed by a “convalescent” sample about two weeks later. Alternately, the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) diagnostic tests for the actual pathogens.

Species of Ticks That Carry Infectious Pathogens

American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis)

Deer Tick (or Black-legged Tick) (Ixodes scapularis)

Brown Dog Tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus)

Gulf Coast Tick (Amblyomma maculatum)

Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum)

Rocky Mountain Wood Tick (Dermacentor andersoni)

Spinose Ear Tick (Otobius megnini)

Western Black-legged Tick (Ixodes pacificus)

For a longer, more detailed look at ticks and tick-borne disease, please refer to our whitepaper.

ALL DONATIONS MADE TO THIS INITIATIVE DURING 2017 WILL BE MATCHED DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR UP TO $250,000 THANKS TO THE GENEROSITY OF THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB!